Explosive-engine.



No. 761,539. PATENTED MAY 31, 1904. J. E. PPEFFBR & R. H. LA-YTON.

' EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE '22, 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented May 31, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EXPLOSlVE-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of L ters Patent No. 761,539, dated May 31, 1904.

Application filed June 22, 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN E. PF FFER and RAWSON H. LAYTON, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Explosive Engines; and we declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same,referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates in general to engines,

and more particularly to four-cycle explosive' engines particularly adapted for motor vehicles and launches.

In single-cylinder explosive engines only propelling one explosion occurs during two revolutions of the driven shaft, and hence while sufficient power is developed to propel the vehicle on a level the power isinadequate to satisfactorily drive the vehicle upgrade. It is consequently desirable to employ double-cylinder engines for propelling automobiles, so that an explosion may occur during each revolution of the driven shaft. The employment of two cylinders has, however, in the engines as hereto fore constructed practically necessitated the doubling of the mechanism and cost of a sin: gle-cylinder engine.

The primary object of our invention is to provide adouble-cylinder engine of the four cycle type which will be so compact in construction that it will require but little more metal in its manufacture and occupy only a slightly greater space in use than a single-cylinder engine.

A further object of our invention is to provide a double-cylinder four-cycle engine which will be comparatively simple in construction, inexpensive in manufacture, and efficient in use. g

Our invention, generally described, consists in two alined cylinders located on the same side-of a driven shaft and mounted upon a two-part crank-casing through-Which the shaft extends, pistons in the cylinders rigidly united together, a single connecting-rod coup ling both pistons to the same crank, separate Serial No. 162,600. on model.)

V supply and exhaust valves for each cylinder, valve-chambers communicating with the cylinders and having a plurality of openings of the same size leading thereinto, some of said openings receiving conduits 1n which the supply and exhaust valves are located and other of said openings being closed .by caps, and valve-actuating mechanism whereby during :as embodied in a convenient and practical form, and in which Figure 1 is an elevatlonal view looking from the right in Fig. 2; and Fig. 2, a Vertical sec-i tional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1.

The same reference characters are used to designate the same parts in the two figures of the drawings. 7

' Reference-letter A designates a crank-shaft, and A the crank, united to the shaft by crankarms a.

B designates a fly-wheel rigidly mounte upon the crank-shaft A.

C and O designate a. two-part crank-casing through which the crank-shaft extends.-

journaled in bearings g 9, supported by the crank-casing and preferably formed integral therewith. v

The cam-shaft G has fixed thereto a gearwheel G, which meshes witha gear-wheel g, fixed upon the crank-shaft A. The periphery of the gear-wheel G contains twice as many teeth as the periphery of the gear-wheelg, thereby resulting in the cam-shaft being rotated only once during each two rotations of the crank-shaft.

Rigidly secured to the part O of the crankcasing are two alined cylinders D and D which are preferably formed in a single integral casting.

D designates a water-jacket surrounding the cylinders D and D 0 is a cap for closing the end of the cylinder D.

Located within the alined cylinders are pistons E and E rigidly united together and preferably hollow. The diameters of the cylinders D and D are so related that the area of the annular piston E is substantially equal to the area of the piston E.

A connecting-rod F is united at one end to the crank A by a suitable bearing F, one part of. which is formed integrally with the end of the connecting-rod and partially surrounds the crank, while the other part is detachably secured to the first part and surrounds the remaining portion of the crank. The opposite end of the connecting-rod is pivotally united to a cross-rod f, rigidly supported at its opposite ends in the walls of the piston E. Any suitable means may be utilized for uniting the end of the connecting-rod to the crosspinf such, for instance, as a split collar, such as shown in Fig. 2.

Valve-chambers (Z' and (Z communicate with the cylinders D and D and are preferably formed integral therewith. Passages (Z and d connect the valve-chambers with the corresponding cylinders. Each of the valve-chambers is provided with openings extendingthrough thefour walls thereof, in two of which openings are secured couplings in which are seated the intake and exhaust valves and which communicate with supply and exhaust conduits. The openings in the back walls of the valve-chambers are provided with couplings N and N in which are seated the intakevalves a and of. Each intake-valve is provided with a rod extending through the coupling and surrounded by a spring an, engaging at its opposite ends a washer on the valve-rod and the exterior of the coupling, thereby normally seating the intake valve outwardly. The openings in the valve-chambers opposite to the intake-couplings are provided with exhaust-couplings, in which are seated exhaustvalves L and L which are provided with valve-stems Z and Z mounted in tubular bearings m and m extending within the couplings M and h Coil-springs Z surround the projecting ends of the valve-stems Z and Z and bear at their opposite ends upon washers fixed on the valve-stems and against the exteriors of the couplings, thereby seating the exhaustvalves outwardly.

The openings through the walls of the valvechambers located intermediate of the intake and exhaust couplings are closed by caps d d, thereby rendering it possible to locate the couplings in which the intake-valves seat in such openings, if desired, it being understood that the openings through the valve-chambers in which the couplings are secured and in which the covers (Z are secured are the same size.

Located in alinement with the valve-stems Z- and Z are plungers,H and H mounted to reciprocate in bushings K and K located within tubular guides la" and X1 formed integrally with the wall 0 of the cam-shaft chamber. The ends of the plungers within the chamber are preferably provided with rollers, which are engaged by cams 7L and 7a respectively, secured to the cam-shaft G. The cams 7t and [t are located at one hundred and eighty degrees apart in order that the cycle of operation of the engines may be such that an explosion occurs in one cylinder simultaneously with the intake in the other and an exhaust in one cylinder simultaneously with the compression of the motive fluid in the other cylinder.

In order that the valve-stem Z may be retained in alinement with its actuatingplun,

ger H a bearing L is preferably provided, through which reciprocates the lower end of the stem.

The operation of our invention is as follows: With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2 an explosion has just occurred in the cylinder D, which tends to rotate the crank-shaft in the direction of the arrow and draw into the cylinder D a charge of motive fluid through the intake-valve 11/. During the return of the pistons to the position shown in Fig. 2 the cam 71 forces the plunger K outwardly, thereby unseating the exhaust-valve L and permitting the exploded gases to discharge from the cylinder D, and during such exhaust from the cylinder D it is evident that the motive fluid drawn into the cylinder D by the previous cycle of operation is compressed. The charge in the cylinder D is then exploded, which tends to drive the pistons forward and draws into the cylinder D a charge of motive fluid. The nextback stroke of the piston compresses the motive fluid in the cylinder D and exhausts the exploded gas from the cylinder D owing to the cam it actuating the plunger K, and thereby. unseating the exhaust-valve L.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that we have invented an improved double-cylinder explosive-engine of the foureycle type comprising alined differential cylinders with which communicate valve-casings having a plurality of openings leading thereinto, in some of which openings are received conduits containing the supply and exhaust valves, while the other of such openings are closed by caps, thereby rendering it possible to change the positions of the supply and exhaust conduits with respect to the valve-casings. It will also be observed that by providing a two-part crank-casing upon which the cylinders are mounted it is possible to decrease the weight of the engine by forming the crank-casing of lighter metal than that necessarily used for the cylinders;

While we have described more or less precisely the details of construction, we do not wish to be understood as limiting Ourselves thereto, as we contemplate changes in form, the proportion of parts, and the substitution of equivalents as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having now fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an engine, the combination with integral alined cylinders located on the same side of the shaft, the cylinders nearer the shaft being of greater diameter than the other cylinder, rigidly-united hollow pistons within the cylinders, a connecting-rod uniting the pistons to the driven shaft, laterally-projecting valve-chambers communicating with the cylinders, and having a plurality of openings through their walls, couplings engaging two of said openings in each valve-chamber, caps interchangeable with said couplings closing the other openings in the valve-chambers, valves controlling the supply and exhaust of motive fluid to and from the Valve-chambers and located in said couplings, and operating mechanism for controlling the valves actuated by the driven shaft.

2. In an engine, the combination withalined located within the couplings, and means for actuating said valves.

In testimony whereof we slgn this specificat1on 1n the presence of two witnesses.

- JOHN E. PFEFFER.

RAWSON LAYTON.

Witnesses:

GEO. L. WILKINSON, O. C. CUNNINGHAM. 

